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Removing marine debris to restore life

Hurricane Dorian hit Abaco in 2019. Two years later, debris were still found endangering ecosystems. This is a story about efforts to clear territorial waters

By Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) en América Latina y el Caribe

February 1^st, 2023

Removal of marine debris is a critical intervention in the wake of a hurricane, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that rely on tourism and their natural assets, for economic growth.

Abaco is the second largest economy and a tourism hotspot in The Bahamas, recognized for its Barrier Reef system, freshwater lenses (limestone filtered water systems), blue hole systems, old growth forests, and stunning beaches.

However, on 1 September 2019 Hurricane Dorian, the strongest category five hurricane in the country's recorded history, hit Abaco and destroyed or severely damaged approximately 60 percent of residential and commercial structures.

In 2021 diverse items –organic and hazardous – were still found on Abaco's land and sea endangering human and marine ecosystems and delaying its economic recovery.

Taking stock “debris like boats, cars and refrigerators can release toxic chemicals into the food supply chain, contaminating the natural environment or crushing coral reefs and other ecosystems such as mangroves, impacting their regrowth and marine populations” emphasized Juliette Deal, who led the Government’s debris management efforts in 2020 to 2021 with the support of UNDP.

In addition, they can obstruct navigation corridors, damaging evacuation, and personal vessels helping recovery efforts as well as cargo vessels.

Debris removal both underwater and on land, was therefore a priority for post hurricane recovery and mandatory for life underwater and local lives and livelihoods.

To guide the safe removal of waste from the marine environment and in partnership with the Government and IDEA Relief, UNDP financed a Rapid Marine Debris Assessment to determine the volume, type and location of potential hazards.

800 square miles assessed

Field work focused on an 800 square kilometre area. An innovative data collection tool was developed by Juliette using paper-based data and cameras to record marine debris coordinates, region of work, tide level, debris type, size and weight, level of impact on natural assets, and signs of contamination.

According to Deal, this methodology can be developed into a smart phone application for future rapid marine debris assessments in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophic event that can easily be used by government, non-governmental organizations, and community leaders to input data real time and quickly export reports. GIS maps produced externally, guided teams throughout the debris sites and were included in the final report to provide definitive locations to the debris.

Dive and snorkeling teams removed sheet metal, appliances, construction material, pilings, car batteries, electronics, radios, air conditioning units, ladders, trees, tires among other items. Calculations indicate the equivalent of 936 tons, or 1.8 million pounds of marine debris have been collected using the assessment report.

“The assessment supported by UNDP gave local communities the necessary information to triage and direct efforts where they were most needed when resources became available”, states Olivia Patterson Maura, Deputy Executive Director, Friends of the Environment, a Bahamas-based Non-Governmental Organization.

The way ahead

“We are happy to say that almost three years later the reef is in fair condition and providing critical services, like habitats for spiny lobster, sea turtles, eagle rays, and multiple species of parrotfish and other reef fish” she adds.

While much has been done, marine debris is still underwater, or floating untethered in many parts of Abaco’s coastal seas.

Government requested the UNDP-funded marine debris report in 2021 when a seaplane landing off coast Abaco crashed into marine debris. The report is still in use by Government and other partners to support local efforts to clear territorial waters of debris left behind by hurricane Dorian.

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